


In the Abyss

by Shaybot



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Inspired by Music
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-08
Updated: 2020-11-14
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:20:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27444040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shaybot/pseuds/Shaybot
Summary: A modern day AU in which Byleth returns to Fhirdiad after an extended time away.  Byleth fled her home after the death of her father and started a new life in Enbarr, where she became the lead singer for a popular band called the Black Eagles.  Now, years later, with the band separating and wrapping up their farewell tour in Fhirdiad, she has some things to answer for.
Relationships: Annette Fantine Dominic/Ashe Duran | Ashe Ubert, Felix Hugo Fraldarius & My Unit | Byleth, Felix Hugo Fraldarius/My Unit | Byleth
Kudos: 15





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Lyin Awake](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/710806) by Steam Powered Giraffe. 



> This first scene hit me like freaking lightning while I was listening to the song Lyin' Awake by Steam Powered Giraffe and I just ran with it. I absolutely recommend checking them out, they're great! There should be 3 chapters total and each one is kind of inspired by a different SPG song, so I'll make sure to add the song titles and a link to their youtube on each chapter. 
> 
> Lyrics are from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFSoh0Y3Yk8

Abyss was one of those clubs that had once been a part of the glittering heart of Fhirdiad, frequented by all manner of upper class citizens, nobility and wealthy merchants. A packed house every night, with a line down the block where liquor flowed freely and business was good for decades.

Now, though, with the city expanding, the old brick buildings of the west side had become worn down and patched up, much like the citizens still clinging on to the area. The windows were heavily tinted and clouded with layers of smoke that had built up over the years. The only thing marking the outside of the building was a tattered old flag, once a vibrant mix of lilac and violet, but time and sun had faded the wolf and moon to pale greys. Once, this would have been enough for anyone in the city to recognize the club by; these days, though, just about the only people that came through the heavy black door were the people who had been here for decades.

Stepping inside was like traveling through time; the club still shined and hummed like it was still the beating heart of the city center. Smoke clung to the ceiling, giving the whole place a dim atmosphere as patrons lounged in plush red velvet booths, drinking whiskey out of sparkling crystal glasses. The bar was polished and immaculately maintained, with a wall displaying all manner of liquors in front of a lighted mirror wall. The bartender, an older man with a thick silvery mustache and a fitted grey vest, could have been crafted just to stand in that very spot; plucked out of the ether and placed there by the goddess herself. The dark wooden floor continued on, recessing into a large area filled with circular tables, all surrounded by chairs upholstered in the same red velvet as the booths. The walls were draped mostly in black velvet, but in places the velvet gave way to bare brick where portraits of former and current performers shone under pointed lights.

The main draw for Abyss had always been it’s performers; whether the top billing for the evening was jazz, blues, or something else, the club always had real talent on their main stage, both well known names and performers that were just starting out. If they could belt it out, they could play Abyss and tonight was no exception.

The stage was dark but for a single spot light shining straight down on a woman sheathed in glittering navy that clung to her small frame; the wide neckline and thin straps hanging decoratively off her shoulders were hemmed with shining crystals. She made no move to look at the expectant crowd as the beginnings of a keyboard melody played behind her from the dark. Manicured fingers gripped the microphone on its stand loosely as she began to hum, then vocalise along with the melody; lips painted dark red birthed a voice that was etched with sadness. Her eyebrows furrowed deeply above closed eyes dusted with gold. She shook her head, sending waves through waist length, pale green hair, and began to sing.

“Lyin’ awake like I’ve been before, but  
I’m miles away, I can’t see straight no more  
Right in your space, I just walk through your door  
But I’m still so far away.”

A few beats passed, letting her voice echo throughout the room, before the singer opened her eyes and the whole stage lit up to reveal the rest of the band and the song continued. The crowd filling the tables on the floor sent a few whistles stage-ward, but she continued on, singing to the back wall with a mild look of melancholy on her face. It took all her effort to continue the performance and not stare at the familiar group that had walked through the front door of the club shortly before the song started.

The three stood at the bar, two men and one woman. They had ordered their drinks and hovered by the bar top for a few moments as they looked for a free seat. When the spot light lit up, though, the taller of the men with tousled red hair let his mouth fall open and began smacking the other man’s shoulder, eyes still stuck on the singer. After sharp amber eyes glared up at his companion for a moment, he glanced up at the stage, only to be similarly stuck to the spot by the sight of the woman on stage.

Their companion, a short blonde woman sent one brief shocked look at the singer before she grabbed her companions and all but dragged them to a nearby booth so they weren’t just standing in the middle of the club. She was the first to speak when they were seated, “Is...Is that Byleth?” When the red-head gave a subdued nod, she continued, “She’s been gone for what? Like 5 years? What’s she been doing all this time?”

Finally able to overcome his muteness, he spoke with a grin, “Fucking killing it, apparently.” He let loose his own whistle as the woman on stage began the song’s freestyle section.

“Sylvain!” The blonde smacked his arm as the man across the booth from him gave a swift kick to his shin.

“Felix, do you not see her?” He gave the man across from him an incredulous look, then turned to the girl next to him, “Do you not hear her, Ingrid? Whatever she did while she was gone is clearly working for her. I mean, when’s the last time any of us saw her? At her father’s funeral, right? She’s clearly doing much better than she was then.”

The ebony-haired man just scoffed, eyes still on the stage as the song came to a close. There was a beat of silence after the final note, then Byleth turned and spoke to a taller brunette behind her, who nodded, then took her place at the front of the stage as she disappeared through heavy red curtains. As the new girl began belting out another melancholy tune, Ingrid perked up, “Hey, I recognize her! That’s Dorothea Arnault, from Adrestia. What’s Byleth doing with her?” She took a good look over the rest of the band; a muscular man with blue hair sat at a drum set, a woman with short purple hair was on the keyboard, and a tanned woman with long magenta hair held a bass guitar in her hands. “In fact, I know all of them. I think they're called the Black Eagles. They’re big down south of the border. I wonder how they got a show all the way up here.”

Back stage, in a large green room, Byleth was sitting on a plush velvet lounge, cradling a long stemmed wine glass, swirling the dark red wine in between nervous sips. Her leg bounced anxiously as she shifted her glance from the door back to the stage, and the door to the rest of the club and back. As apprehensive as she was, she didn’t notice the approaching figure behind her until he spoke up, the familiar amused tone still making her jump in surprise. “You know, the wine’s supposed to be for after you finish the show.”

She cursed under her breath and carefully placed the glass down on the table in front of her before glancing over her shoulder, hands now wringing themselves to hide their shaking. “Sorry, Yuri, somehow I didn’t prepare myself to see familiar faces on my first night back in Fhirdiad.” A breathy, nervous chuckle escaped her smudged lips, “Especially not my ex.”

He laughed as he took the wine glass from the table and downed the remaining liquid before pulling out a pallet of shining lip color and a brush. “The three that walked in before your last song?” She nodded mutely and he shook his head with another amused smirk. A single gesture was all that was needed to bring her face close enough for him to adjust her makeup. “So which one was it? Carrot top, Blondie, or the grouch?”

She waited until he finished with her lips, all the while a deep blush was spreading across her cheeks, “The grouch.” As Yuri put away his pallet, she shook her head and laughed bitterly, “I’m sure he’s especially grouchy after that performance. I kind of just up and left; haven’t talked to any of them since.”

Suddenly the door to the club opened up and revealed said grouch marching across the room, arms crossed, eyes scowling. Byleth’s eyes widened, an undignified squeak escaped her throat, as she turned back to Yuri, who was on his way to leave through the office door behind her.

“Real smooth, friend.” He chuckled as he left the two alone.

She stayed facing the wrong way, nails gripping the back of the couch, shoulders tight, while she tried to get a handle on her breathing again. A few moments passed before she slowly turned back to look at her visitor, nervously mumbling, “Hi Felix.” while still avoiding looking at his face.

An angry scoff left his lips before he practically growled his words out, “Hi? That’s all you’ve got for me after 5 years, Byleth? Really?”

She could feel the shame building in her chest all over again, but instead chose to draw on her own frustration instead, sending an indignant scowl at his chest, “Well yes, that is generally how civilized human beings start conversations. What would you have preferred?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” he threw his hands up for a second before letting them fall uselessly to his sides, still glaring down at her, “maybe an apology? Or even just an explanation about where the hell you’ve been?” When she flinched away from him, but offered no response, he barreled on, “Tell me, Byleth, did you leave immediately after the funeral, or did you just avoid us all for a while before you decided to skip town? Because for all we knew, you were dead in a ditch somewhere.”

She huffed an irritated sigh, looking away as she spoke again, “How did you even get back here?”

Another unimpressed scoff, then “your doorman’s a greedy son of a bitch.”

That drew a small gasp from her, which turned into a scowl at the door to the club, “Dammit, Balthus.”

After another tense moment, Felix spoke up again, quieter this time, “Are you going to tell me anything? We were really worried about you, By.”

She flinched slightly at the use of the nickname before standing, “Wait back here. I’ll tell you when the show’s over.” Still avoiding his gaze, she strode over to the club door, opened it slightly and hissed at the large man standing in front of it, “Some security you are. Listen, if a red-headed dude and blonde woman want to come back, let them. Their names are Sylvain Gautier and Ingrid Galatea.” She paused to smack him on the shoulder, “And give Felix his coin back, or I just might tell Yuri you’re making money on the side, see what he does about it.” Byleth sighed heavily as she made her way back across the room, then finally looked into Felix’s eyes, looking tired and pained, “I’m sorry. I’ll tell you everything when the show’s over. Should only be a few more songs.” She reached out to put a hand on his arm, but thought better of it, pulling back and spinning away to rush through the backstage door.

By the time the show was finished and the five performers were making their way back to the green room, all three Faerghus natives were seated around the coffee table. The unexpected guests drew glances from the rest of the band, but Byleth put up a hand, “I’m gonna be a while; you guys can go on ahead. I’ll catch a cab back to the hotel.” They all gave various responses before they went back to the dressing rooms. With a heavy sigh, she turned back to the trio carefully watching her, “I have some explaining to do, huh?”

“You’re damn right you do!” She flinched as Felix stood, once again glaring down at her.

“Felix, calm down.” Ingrid walked between the pair and wrapped Byleth in a tight hug before stepping back, “We were so worried when you disappeared. Some of us,” She shot a glare over at him, “don’t express their worry as well as others.”

“No, Ingrid, it’s fine.” She passed a guilty look over all of them, “After what I did, I deserve it.” After separating, the girls took a place on the lounge together while Sylvain and Felix took two of the arm chairs. She took a shaking breath before speaking again, “So the last time I saw any of you was at my father’s funeral.” A pause stretched between them as she bit back her grief, tears pricking at her eyes even five years later, “The will was read in a meeting that immediately followed the funeral. It was pretty standard for the most part...until they got to the point where Jeralt named...Leonie,” She spat the name bitterly, “the inheritor of the Knights.”

Byleth paused, not looking at any of the shocked faces around her, chewing on the inside of her lip to keep her emotions relatively under control, “He gave some bullshit excuse about knowing I’d be miserable being trapped in his company, that I needed to go figure out what I wanted to do with my life. Part of me hates him for it...but part of me, over the years, has realized that he was right. I did security with him for so long, I didn’t know what else to do and I probably would have kept doing the same thing for the rest of my life if he’d left it to me.” She closed her eyes briefly, shaking her head as she sighed, “So I left...as soon as the meeting was over. I didn’t even bother going back home. I got in my car in my mourning clothes and started driving. I don’t even remember where I ended up that first night. My phone had died somewhere on the road and I couldn’t be bothered to buy a charger anywhere before I finally collapsed in some grungy motel.”

She chanced a quick look over her friends’ faces. Ingrid looked on with a pitying expression; one that Byleth had gotten more than sick of over the past five years. Sylvain was watching her carefully, somewhere between shocked and curious. And Felix... Felix looked like he was still trying to be furious with her. She winced slightly and continued on, “That was what the first few weeks were like, just running away from everything, spending every night in a new hotel whenever I was on the verge of passing out. Somewhere along the way, my car got broken into and my phone and cash was stolen. I ended up in Enbarr at the end of the first month and decided the city was big enough that I could lose myself in it. I took a job bartending and was making enough to get an apartment a few months later.” She chuckled bitterly at the memory, “It was a shit hole, but it was better than sleeping in the car and crumby motels. A couple years in, I got drunk at some karaoke bar downtown and apparently Dorothea was there with a few friends. Guess I made an impression, cause she gave me her number and told me to call when I sobered up. I started playing with the Black Eagles a month or two later, I think? They were losing their lead singer and needed a replacement. Things were pretty consistent for a few years, up until the end of last winter, I think. Petra, our bassist, decided it was time for her to return home to Brigid. Dorothea had been thinking about going solo, too. So we started planning a farewell tour. We traveled Adrestia in the summer and fall, Leicester throughout the winter, and here is where our tour ends. Yuri’s booked us for a couple more nights, but after that...it’s over.”

Byleth heaved a sigh, fiddling with her fingers to avoid making eye contact with anyone. The silence stretched on, pressing in on her for longer than she would have liked, but she was all out of words. By the time she drew up enough courage to look at her friends again, Ingrid was wrapping her in a tight hug. “I’m sorry you went through everything alone, Byleth. We’re really glad you’re back, though.” She paused and pulled away to look at her face, “Wait, are you back? Or are you leaving after the last show?”

A faint smile tugged at Byleth’s lips and she shook her head, “No, I’m back. I had someone watching over the house while I was gone, so I’ll be right back where I started. I’m done running and hiding from everything.” She hesitated and looked around at all three of them, “And, again, I’m so sorry...for all of it. You guys deserve better than that.”

“Well,” Sylvain spoke up with a grin, standing and crossing the room to put a hand on her shoulder, “you can make it up to us by buying the next round at the bar.”

After a brief moment, she laughed, shaking her head again, “I’ve got a tab going; I’ll let Hanneman know your next drinks are on me, but I’m pretty worn out. I think I’m going to head back to the hotel.” She stood and started towards the dressing rooms, only pausing when Felix spoke up.

“I’ll take you.”

She turned to see him looking at her from the corner of his eyes and after a moment replied, “Oh, you don’t have to do that. I don’t mind getting a cab, really.”

An eye roll, then “Just take the damn ride.”

Byleth blinked a couple times, then nodded, “Ok, if you’re sure.”

When she returned a few minutes later, she was dressed in dark jeans, heeled boots, and a leather jacket, with her hair now braided and pinned to the back of her head. “Ok, let’s go. I’ll talk to Hanneman on the way out.”

So Felix and Byleth left Sylvain and Ingrid at the bar and walked out into the chilly spring night. They approached a motorcycle sitting on the edge of a nearby parking lot; it was sporty, but large, and painted navy. The sight of it made her chuckle a bit, “You’re still riding Glenn’s old bike?”

He scoffed and tossed the helmet to her, “Do you want a ride or not?”

“Hey, you’re the one that insisted.” She hesitated putting on the helmet, eyeing him carefully over it, “I really don’t mind taking a cab if you’d rather not.”

He took the helmet out of her hands and put it on her head much gentler than she was expecting, rolling his eyes as he did so, "Just get on the bike."

"Ok, ok." She held her hands up in defeat and she straddled the bike behind him. After a moment of hesitation, she wrapped her arms around his middle and the pair of them were off, rumbling through the old metropolitan streets. She couldn't help but feel a bit nostalgic; before she left, this was how they traveled more often than not, pressed close together, enjoying the bracing winds and gripping speeds.

Too soon they were pulling into the parking lot of the hotel the band was staying at. Byleth took a moment to sit back and rub her hands together, trying to get the feeling back into her fingers before she removed the borrowed helmet and slid from the bike. "Thanks for the ride, Felix. I appreciate it." She sent him a muted smile as she handed over the helmet. "Are you going to head back to Abyss?"  
He grunted as he got off, clipping the helmet to the back of the bike, "You and I need to talk." There was a moment of pause where he just leveled a hard stare at her before she motioned towards the building.

"Would you like to come up to my room? There's a bar down stairs, too, if you didn't want to be alone."

A light scoff escaped him, “I have to ride home; no, I don’t want to go to the bar.”

“Right, sorry.” She scratched her neck as she turned and led him up to the room she shared with Caspar and Bernadetta. As she stepped inside, she shed her jacket to reveal a long sleeved turtle neck, still shivering slightly and muttered to herself, “Ugh, I’ve been away too long. I’m not used to how cold it still is any more. Oh,” She turned to face him as she tossed the garment onto her bed, “Did you want something to drink? There’s stuff in the mini fridge.”

He sent her an annoyed scowl, “I told you, I have to drive.”

Her face fell flat for a moment before you pursed her lips, “It’s water and soda, dummy.” She rolled her eyes as she grabbed two bottles of water, tossing one across the room to him, and sat heavily onto the couch. She watched him closely as he fidgeted with his bottle, scowling down at it before settling into the desk chair across from her. When he still didn’t say anything, she decided to start, “Listen, Felix, I understand that you’re pissed. It’s fine and totally how I would probably handle the situation. I was completely MIA for five whole years, it’s not like I was expecting to come back and have things be the same. There was never any delusional part of my brain that thought you might take me back. Don’t worry about it.”

When he looked up at her, his eyes were widened slightly and his thoughts seemed to have sputtered to a halt. It took a moment before he composed himself enough to straighten up again, “That is not at all what I wanted to talk to you about, but fine, here we go.” For a moment, he scowled at her, before it melted away and he just looked fatigued, “Byleth, I didn’t think you were gone. I thought you were dead.”

She froze, her own water bottle paused halfway to her open mouth. A moment later, she blinked and carefully placed the drink on a nearby table, “Why would you think that?” She recalled a similar comment from back at the club, but had let it pass as just exaggeration.

The scowl was back, but he was looking away this time, out the window to the sparkling city beyond, “That bastard calling himself the Death Knight is back. The kidnappings started within a month of Jeralt’s death and then you just disappeared. What was I supposed to think?”

She swore under her breath, scowling down at nothing, “Did you guys ever catch him?”

A bitter laugh reached her ears, “Of course not. Just like last time, he took a handful of girls, disappeared, then they all turned up dead, totally drained of blood.” There was a tense pause before he continued, “We kept finding bodies in the usual places and I kept trying to prepare myself to see your face, but you were never there. I guess I should be happy about that. I hated not knowing, though.”

“I,” She watched him for a moment, then closed her eyes and cursed quietly again, “I’m so sorry, Felix.”

He sighed, sounding frustrated and unbalanced, the stood and crossed the room to sit next to her, “But you’re here and I’m so fucking confused.” The two looked at each other for a tense moment before looking away, “I didn’t think you left me, Byleth, I thought you had been fucking killed. I mourned you.”

Abruptly, Byleth stood and walked across the room, arms crossed tightly over her chest, unable to face her guilt, “I have nothing else. There is nothing I can say that makes any of this better. I get it if you want to leave and just never see me again. I won’t try to find you, I won’t even go to places I think you might be.”

“Dammit, Byleth.” She barely heard him muttering behind her before she felt arms around her, “how is that what you take away from everything I’ve said?”

“What?” she choked out, blinking rapidly.

“Why are you trying to leave me again?” His voice was quiet, startlingly so considering how he’d been taking everything so far.

She took in a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding, still not quite sure what was happening, “I-I...I guess I just assumed,” She shook her head to attempt to get her thoughts under control again and continued quietly, “Why would you want me to stay after what I did?”

A heavy sigh tickled her ear and then his head was resting in the crook of her shoulder; she thought she heard his voice muttering something, but it was muffled in the fabric of her shirt. She turned her head slightly, cheek brushing up against his hair, eyes widening slightly when he shifted to look at her, cheeks bright pink. His eyes looked tired and he sighed again, lighter this time, “Because I missed you, idiot.” The corner of his mouth tugged up slightly.

There was a quiet moment between them as she continued to process his words, before he reached down with one hand, the other still wrapped around her waist, and brought his phone from a pocket. “Here,” he spoke as he unlocked it and opened up the contacts list, “put your number in. You don’t get to do this to me again, got it?”

Byleth snorted out a laugh before taking the phone and tapping out her new number and handing it back to him, “to be fair, you know where I’ll be for at the very least, the next two nights.” The tension in her shoulders eased away as his arms tightened around her middle for several moments before he stepped back.

“I should get back to the club; make sure the other two get home.”

When she turned, she was wearing a warm, fond smile, chuckling slightly, “What would they do without you?” She walked with him down to the lobby and out to the parking lot, shivering in the cold, “Will you come to the show tomorrow? You didn’t exactly get to see it tonight.”

He gave her a smirk as he hopped on the bike and grabbed his helmet, “I might be persuaded to come. We’ll have to see, now won’t we?”

She chuckled and smacked his arm lightly, “Ride safe, Felix. I’ll see you later.” As she watched him rumble away from the hotel, the remaining anxiety that had been knotting up in her gut for weeks withered away, leaving only the warmth and familiarity of hope.


	2. Chapter 2

Byleth woke up the next morning with one muscular arm resting around her waist and the sound of soft snoring just behind her. When she shifted to look at the man behind her, she was met by a shock of light blue hair. With a soft elbow nudge to his abdomen, she grunted, “Caspar, what are you doing?”

The snoring stopped suddenly in a fit of sputtering and muttering, “Wha-?” He blinked blearily at her, “Ah, shit, did I do something stupid last night?”

“Pfft,” She laughed lightly and disentangled herself, sitting up and patting his head, “I think you just passed out in the wrong bed, dude. I was asleep by the time you guys came in last night.” Across the room, in the second bed, a ruffled mess of purple hair began to stir from underneath the blankets, “Where did you guys end up last night? I didn’t see you at the bar when Felix and I left Abyss.”

“We just came back here and drank at the bar downstairs. We decided it was better to not have to find a ride back here at the end of the night” Caspar sat up and gave her a wary look, “So, uh, how’d all of that go? You looked pretty freaked out when we left the club.”

“Ah,” Byleth shook her head, thinking back fondly to the night before, “it went surprisingly well, all things considered. I told them what happened, which was kind of a weight off of my shoulders and they weren’t nearly as furious at me as I thought they might be. Even Felix took it pretty well, at least he took it well for him.”

“Well that’s good. You said you guys grew up together, right?”

“Yeah, our families all worked closely together, so it was natural that we’d grow close. Between my dad running security for the palace, Felix’s dad running the police department, and Sylvain’s dad ranking high up in the military, we were all bound to meet sooner or later. Ingrid was introduced pretty early on, when her marriage to Felix’s brother was arranged. We were actually pretty close with the crown prince as well.”

A knock came from the door separating their room from the room next door before Dorothea and Petra came shuffling in, both still in their pajamas. After a pair of subdued greetings, they fell heavily on the foot of Bernadetta’s bed, the movement finally shaking the girl from her slumber. Dorothea sent a sweet smile over to Byleth, “Glad to see you still have a head, By. The way dark and broody was looking at you, I was pretty sure he was either going to kill you or sleep with you. Congrats on making it the latter.”

A breathy laugh escaped her as she looked away, trying to hide the vibrant blush she could feel spreading across her face, “Thanks, but that’s not quite how the evening played out. He gave me a ride back here to talk, that’s it.”

“Really?” Her eyebrows shot up and her hand went to her chest, “Because when I saw you leading him to the elevator, he was looking at you like he absolutely had more than talking in mind.”

That got Byleth’s attention, causing her to turn back to the singer, blinking rapidly, “Excuse me?” She thought about the fidgety way he had stood across the room from her the night before. Had she been so guilty that she had misinterpreted that whole situation? He said that he hadn’t intended on talking about her five year absence or their relationship, she was the one that brought it up. 

“Agreed,” Petra piped up, “he was following behind you with...I believe you would call it bedroom eyes?”

“Well,” Byleth cleared her throat, looking around the room, at anything but the girls smugly watching her squirm, “I fucked that one up.” Dorothea’s laugh bubbled up and filled the room, earning an annoyed scowl from her, which only made her laugh more.

“Aw, you guys even have matching grumpy faces.” The brunette teased after calming down, “Anyway, the real reason we came over was to figure out breakfast plans. I am famished!”

“Oh, I bet Byleth has plenty of good suggestions. You probably know all the best places in Fhirdiad!” Bernie finally joined in at the mention of food.

She shrugged, “I’ve been gone for five years, it’s possible all of my favorite places are gone by now.” After a long look from the rest of the band, she sighed, “Though, I suppose we could check. We used to visit a little diner near here after spending all night drinking.”

Before too long, the group was dressed and piled into a van, following Byleth’s foggy memory around the sleepy roads. She led them to a small blue building just down the street from Abyss. There was a large sign naming the place The Blue Lion Diner in bright letters. Upon entering the brightly lit room, they were greeted by a bouncy red headed girl wearing a light blue dress that reached her knees and was covered by a grey apron.

"Welcome in! How many do we have today?"

When Byleth looked the girl over, she paused momentarily before her eyes widened, "Annette?"

The girl was jolted out of her normal customer service routine and she squinted her eyes briefly before they went wide and her jaw dropped. Her voice lost its overly saccharine tone when she spoke again, "Byleth? What are you doing here? Where have you been?!"

A nervous chuckle escaped her throat as she was tackled in a tight hug, "It's kind of a long story, if you've got the time I can tell you over breakfast."

She jumped back and gasped, "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, let's get you guys a table!"

When they were seated at a long table towards the rear of the dining room, Annette flagged down another waitress, "I'm going to go ahead and take my break now, but if you guys need any help, just come get me. And don’t worry about these guys, I’ll take care of them." When she turned back to the group before her, just settling in to their places around the table. “Oh! I should grab some menus, huh? I’ll be right back!”

The band watched her leave with varying reactions, and after a short pause Bernadetta spoke up, “She’s, uh...a lot.”

Byleth chuckled mildly and turned back to the table, “Yeah, Annie’s a little scatter brained and very high energy, but she’s really a sweetheart. Before I left she was going to school to study magic theory or something like that. I wonder how she ended up waitressing.” Her smile fell briefly before the sound of the returning girl drew her attention and returned the warm smile to her lips.

“Ok,” Annette huffed a sigh as she finally sat down next to her, “So, first thing’s first: I’m Annette! Byleth and I went to school together.” She gave a bubbly smile and glanced around the crowded table expectantly.

“Right,” Byleth went around the table, gesturing to each person as she introduced them, “So this is Caspar, Bernadetta, Dorothea and Petra. We’re in a band together.”

“Really? Since when did you do music?”

“Ah, well, that’s kind of part of the long story.” She rubbed the back of her neck and looked back down at her menu briefly.

“Oh! Right, let me go ahead and get meals ordered and then you can tell me!”

So, once food was ordered and drinks were brought out, Byleth began her account of the last five years, helped along every once in a while by her friends. Dorothea took great pleasure in detailing the performance that she had been too drunk to fully recall at the karaoke bar. “You were a good singer and very attractive, perfect for our new front woman!” By the time they were finished telling the tale, Byleth let a tired sigh escape her before taking a long drink of water.

“Oh man,” Annette groaned after a moment, “I’m super bummed that I never got to see you play! I bet you guys were great!”

“We’re playing again tonight and tomorrow night!” Caspar spoke up brightly, “You should try to come see the show.”

“He’s right,” Byleth turned from him back to Annette, “we’ll be playing at Yuri’s place. Have you been to Abyss? He’s really done well with it.”

“That sounds like fun.” She perked up, face brightening, “I’ll have to tell Mercie and Ashe.” There was a moment of silence before she jumped up, “Oh my gosh, how could I forget?! I have to tell Ashe you’re here!” Before anyone could say anything else, she was sprinting off towards the kitchen again.

“Just watching her has me getting tired.” Petra mused.

“No kidding, Pet.” Dorothea chuckled, resting her chin in her palm, “So, what’s the plan for the rest of the day? We don’t play until 9, so we get there by 7:30 or 8 and we’ve got the entire day before that to ourselves.”

All faces turned toward Byleth once again who, after a moment, sighed and chuckled lightly, “I’m sure I can come up with something.”

Before they could continue the conversation, Annette was back, tray full of food in hand, trailed by a young, silver haired man, also balancing a large tray of food on one hand. “I’m back!” She piped up as she began to pass out plates, “Everyone, this is Ashe! He’s our cook and also my husband.” The pair beamed when they glanced at each other.

“Annie, Ashe!” Byleth lamented, “I can’t believe I missed your wedding, I’m so sorry!”

“Ah, It’s ok, Byleth.” Ashe placed a hand on her shoulder when Annette took the second tray from him, “it was super small, but we’ve got plenty of pictures we can show you later. Thanks, so much, by the way, for letting us rent your place while you were gone.”

“No problem at all,” She smiled fondly up at him, “Thank you for taking care of the place. I’m moving back, but you are welcome to stay as long as you like. There are plenty of bedrooms in the place; it’s frankly going to be strange living there on my own.”

“We can work it out later.” The bubbly redhead piped up as she pulled up a chair for her husband, “For now, dig in! Oh, Ashe, they’re playing a show down in Abyss tonight and tomorrow; do you think we could grab Mercie after our shift and go see them?”

“That sounds great, I don’t think we have anything else going on tonight or early tomorrow.”

The group chatted easily for a short while before Ashe had to excuse himself to get back to the kitchen. After he left, Byleth turned, “So, Annie, how did you guys end up here? I thought you were studying to be some sort of researcher for the school of magic?”

“I am!” She said brightly, visibly perking up, “I have classes at the school of sorcery throughout the week, but Ashe took over this place when the previous owner put it up for sale. Sometimes he needs a bit of help on the weekends, so I help the waitresses out.”

She laughed lightly, “Shouldn’t you have your degree by now? You were at least half way through when I left.”

“Oh, for sure, I’m working on my PhD in reason now.”

“Goddess above, did you take any breaks in the last five years?”

“Nah, well that’s not quite true. I took a semester off between graduating and starting my master’s and it was the most boring thing ever! By the end of it, I was dying to get back into the classroom.”

“Hey, Annie,” Dorothea piped up after a sip of juice, “we need a local’s opinion. We don’t have to be at the club tonight until about eight, so we were trying to come up with things to do during the better part of the day. Do you know of anything going on around town or any sights we can’t miss before we leave Faerghus?”

After a big bite of waffle, she perked up, “Oh, I think you guys are in luck! I’m pretty sure there is some sort of festival being held on the castle grounds. Even if the festival isn’t something you’re interested in, it’s a good excuse to just check out the castle. It really is gorgeous.”

“Ohh, I’d love to see the castle!” Bernadetta clapped once, “I’ve seen pictures, but I’m sure it’s even prettier in person.”

“Indeed, that sounds wonderful.” Petra nodded along with her.

It wasn’t long before the group had finished eating and were saying their goodbyes, waving to Ashe through the pick up window. They piled into the van and Byleth drove them across town to the old castle. They passed through the former metropolitan area that was mostly older styled manors and businesses, took a detour to avoid the newer, more traffic heavy areas of the new downtown section of the city, and arrived on the castle grounds.

The castle was surrounded by rolling hills, dotted with birch trees and holly bushes. They drove past gardens and small farming areas before they were led to a field being used as a parking lot by multiple signs. Byleth led the group down one of the flowering paths lined with primroses and pansies in the direction they could hear the sounds of crowds coming from. When they passed through a large leafy arch way, she perked up at the sight of a large sign declaring the area was being used for the city’s annual knighthood festival.

“I had forgotten about this.” she smiled wistfully as she led them through the main gate, “It’s a celebration of the long history of knighthood in Faerghus. It’s a lot more interesting than it sounds, I promise” She laughed lightly at Dorothea and Bernadetta’s skeptical looks, “They have all sorts of shows demonstrating the various styles of fighting that different knights used, along with a few short classes. We would come every year and see who could beat who in the sparring ring. Not to mention, there’s always plenty of good food.”

Petra laughed at that, “Did we not just come from eating?”

“True,” Byleth smiled wickedly, “but I’m sure I’ll work up an appetite after I beat every one of you into the dust. Come on.”

Sure enough, hidden amongst the crowds and stalls selling all manner of knightly goods, there were several small stages where masters of their crafts were showing off their skills. They stopped to watch an archer pierce a target with three bull’s eyes in under three seconds, then moved on when Caspar noticed a round dirt ring where two men were grappling. Petra was drawn to a large corral where a woman was demonstrating how she trained her wyverns. The large beasts gave her a cautious sniff before allowing her to scratch underneath their chins.

“Hey, Pet, maybe we should get you a wyvern. You’d be a natural with them.” Dorothea giggled before she continued on to a stall nearby selling handmade jewelry.

After a brief stop to look over some old styled hand bags and dresses, Byleth finally found where the training grounds had been set up and trotted excitedly towards the large flattened square of dirt. There were racks of all sorts of weapons, all wooden, lining one edge of the fenced in area, and another edge had stacks of padded armor to prevent anyone from getting seriously injured. Her face lit up as she approached the racks and grabbed a sword before turning back to her friends, “Alright, who’s first?”

Caspar immediately jumped at the challenge and joined her, grabbing a wooden axe and sending her an excited grin, “Let’s do this!”

She laughed and led him into the center of the ring, “To first hit?” Her face shifted from a friendly smile to something sharper, then; a wicked grin that looked more like bared teeth and made her opponent falter slightly before sliding into a wide stance and nodding resolutely.

They stood still for just a moment before Byleth rushed him, slashing at his side. He was able to block the hit, but only just, and he stumbled to the left, earning himself a series of thrusts to dodge. Before he could fall back, Caspar swung out his axe, forcing her to hop backwards slightly. He righted himself and came at her this time, bringing the axe in front of himself with two hands. A chop to her right was ducked under and her foot shot out, sweeping his legs out from under him. He fell heavily onto his back and when the breath returned to him, her wooden blade was level with his neck.

The pair laughed as Byleth helped him up off the ground. “That wasn’t even fair!” Caspar shook his head as he replaced his axe. “How come you’re so good? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you fight before.”

She rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly, “My father was a bit of an enthusiast.”

“Not to mention, he was on the king’s honor guard.”

The new voice drew all of their gazes towards the entrance of the training area where four men had entered. There was silence for a moment before Byleth dropped the sword she was holding, held a fist to her heart and bowed, muttering “Your Highness.”

The tall blonde laughed and crossed the grounds to place a hand on her shoulder, “Byleth, please, I’ve known you since I was in diapers. Please don’t start with the formalities now.”

Her cheeks were pink when she rose awkwardly, “You weren’t exactly a king when you were in diapers, Dimitri.” She cleared her throat and let a smile spread on her face before turning to her band behind her, “My friends, allow me to introduce Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd, the newly crowned king of Faerghus and one of my very best friends. Then there is Dedue Molinaro, head of the Kingsguard. And I never got to introduce you all last night, but this is Sylvain Gautier and Felix Fraldarius. Gentlemen, I would like to introduce you to the Black Eagles, Dorothea Arnault, Petra Macneary, Bernadetta von Varley, and Caspar von Bergliez.”

They all exchanged polite greetings before Byleth spoke up again, “What are you all doing here?”

Sylvain spoke up with a bit of laughter in his voice, “Felix and I got a message from Annie this morning that we should really check out the Knights Festival today. She said we would find the event especially interesting this year, and then continued to make lots of heavy handed implications that we would meet someone here. It wasn’t much of a stretch to assume she had met you and knew you’d be here.”

“Oh, Annie.” She chuckled as she was shaking her head. Leaning over, she swiped her forgotten sword up off the ground and righted herself, the sharp grin back on her face, “So, did you boys just come to talk, or is one of you going to give me a real fight?” The question was posed to all four men, but her eyes were trained on Felix, who already looked like he was itching to jump into the ring.

“I know that look,” Sylvain held his hands up, “That is a look that means I am absolutely not getting in the ring with you. I value my own well being too much.”

With a scoff and a smirk, Felix stepped up, “That, or you’re just a coward. I, however, have been looking forward to this.”

Byleth’s eyes glittered excitedly as she sank into her starting position and waited for her opponent to get set as well. After choosing a sword of his own, and standing across from her for just a moment, he rushed her. The fight lasted much longer than her bout with Caspar had, and it was much more balanced, the pair of them trading hard hitting blows, dodging and parrying, all without losing the amusement in their expressions.

“Geez,” Caspar muttered, “I had no chance.”

“Did she not tell you?” Dimitri glanced down at the man next to him, a sympathetic smile on his face before he turned back to the match, “Her father trained her in many forms of fighting, both modern and classical. They were in charge of the security for the palace, so he wanted her to be prepared for whatever might come her way.”

“Not to mention, she’s a bit of a sadist.” Sylvain laughed, “The only one of us that was ever able to keep up with her was Felix.”

Dorothea hummed quietly as she watched the fighters, one arm linked with Petra’s, “They were together before she left, weren’t they?”

The red head grimaced at the memory before nodding, “She told us why she left, and I get it, I do, but it damn near broke him. It didn’t help that there was a serial killer on the loose at the time that he was in charge of investigating. Every time he got a call about another body, I had to convince him it wasn’t going to be hers.”

“Goddess, that’s awful.” Bernadetta shivered.

A loud crack drew their attention back to the ring where the pair stood panting heavily, Byleth’s sword flung to the ground feet away, Felix’s inches from her neck, grins still plastered on their faces. “You’ve gotten sloppy.” He smirked at her.

“I didn’t exactly have anyone to practice with down south.” She stepped back, eyes still on his, before she turned and grabbed the fallen sword.

“Then it’s a good thing you’re back.”

The group gathered together again before making their way out of the training grounds in search of lunch. When they all found something to eat, Dimitri led them towards a secluded garden. They sat in the grass surrounded by flowering bushes and talked easily as they ate. Byleth couldn’t help but sigh contentedly as she watched the two groups intermingling. Dorothea was laughing at something Sylvain had said, slapping him lightly on the shoulder. Caspar, Dedue and Dimitri were talking animatedly on the other side of their picnic area about the earlier fight. It pained her slightly to think that they would never all be able to be together like this again.

A nudge to her shoulder brought her out of her thoughts, “What’s with that face?” Felix muttered from his spot next to her.

She glanced up at him, the corner of her mouth trailing upwards slightly, “Everyone is getting along so well, it’s a shame this will be just about the only time they will all be able to spend time together like this.” After an understanding grunt from him, she looked back towards the group, “So, are you coming to the show tonight?”

“Ingrid is out of town with Glenn all weekend, but Sylvain and I will be there.”

She clapped lightly, “I’m glad, Annette, Ashe, and Mercedes should be coming as well.”

“Alright, warrior princess,” Dorothea’s voice caught their attention, “We need to head out and start getting ready for the show.” Laughing lightly, Byleth stood and waved to the men still sitting around the garden before following her friends back to the van.

Back at the hotel, as Caspar was showering, Bernadetta and Byleth sat on one of the beds, eating dinner and chatting idly. “You and Felix seemed really into that fight earlier. Did you fight often before leaving?”

“Yeah, it started off as a way to spend more time with my dad when I was a kid. Then it was a good way to blow off some steam when I was a teenager. Dad taught Felix as well, so more often than not we were sparring partners.”

“It must have been hard not having anyone around with an interest in it.”

“There were a lot of things I found difficult about living in Adrestia, but not fighting wasn’t really one of them. It reminded me too much of my dad.”

“That makes sense, I guess.”

Shortly after that, Caspar emerged from the bathroom and Byleth took her turn to get ready. They were back at the club about an hour later, all crowded into the dressing room helping with hair and make up. As Petra was zipping up her dress, Yuri knocked on the door and spoke from just outside, “Byleth, when you’ve got a moment I need to speak with you.” She blinked a couple times, confused, but made her way out into the hall.

“Were you planning on telling me that the King was going to be attending tonight’s show?” There was an annoyed scowl on his face as he watched her reaction.

“I wasn’t aware he was going to.” She said with wide eyes. “We saw him this afternoon at the festival, but as far as I know, no one mentioned the show.”

A heavy sigh erupted from the man’s lips as he rubbed his temples, “Listen, By, I know that you’re all buddy buddy with the ruler of our country and all that, but the rest of us actually have to make special preparations to receive him. I really should have at least double the security on staff for him.” He groaned and leveled a blank stare at her, “Whatever, I’ll just have to be extra vigilant tonight. Finish getting ready, you guys are on in 15.”

Abyss was packed that night, not a single table was empty, due in no small part to word getting around that the king was making a special visit to the club to see the band that was playing. One booth was occupied by Dimitri, Dedue, Felix and Sylvain, another nearby was filled with several stoic looking guards in suits. Down on the lower floor, Annette, Mercedes and Ashe were sitting at one of the round tables.

Everyone was chatting freely and sipping their drinks when the house lights were dimmed and the stage lights went up. When the band was in their places, Petra began plucking out a tune on her bass, drawing the entire room’s attention. A few measures later, Byleth began to sing.

“We rise on a hard line  
Two halves of the same vine  
Too dark to define light  
Two roads, two paths and your own  
You can lead down your own  
To find home”

Byleth’s voice was rich and warm, missing that tinge of anxiety and sorrow it held the night before. She looked out warmly over the club filled with so many familiar faces and felt herself become content in a way she hadn’t in a long time.

“Someone, they once told me  
All of my whole being  
All that surrounds me  
Is good but brittle when you're alone  
So don't leave them alone  
It's not their fault”

As her voice drifted over the club, Sylvain elbowed Felix sitting next to him, “Still got it bad, huh? Can’t say I blame you.” He scoffed and rolled his eyes before returning his attention to the stage, sipping his whiskey as he watched her.

Across from him, Dimitri chuckled to himself. “Will you finally ask her, now that she's back?” He continued to laugh when the only response was a brief scowl in his direction.

“And if it feels right  
Take in the new light and  
Breathe  
And if it feels right  
Take in a new light  
Breathe”

The bristly swordsman kept his eyes on the singer and was unable to stop the sigh that escaped him. After so many years of wondering and grieving, the relief of seeing her again was enough to make him weak. He felt foolish for his initial anger, and decided that perhaps it was time to do what he had intended to do five years ago.

“So bring what surrounds you  
Your body, your visions, your lies  
Completely astounding  
To put you right back on your line  
Subversively defined, we're intertwined”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was inspired by and contains lyrics from the steam powered giraffe song Intertwined. Here's a link to their video for it! I highly recommend you give it a listen.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZQxhA_q5Dk
> 
> This chapter felt much more awkward to write, but I do so hope you enjoyed it! Unfortunately, I've just recently started a new job that gets very busy around the holidays, so I'm a bit behind on the next (and probably final) chapter. I didn't want to rush it, end up with another chapter I'm not completely satisfied with, and risk burning myself out, so I hope you don't mind waiting a little bit. Once Thanksgiving has passed, I should be able to focus more on writing again, so I wouldn't expect more from this until the first week of December. After that, though, I'm really getting into another fic I've been working on, so I hope you'll check that one out as well


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